The 52-year-old former Perak mentri besar garnered 21,860 votes against Ismail’s 19,071. Kamarul Ramizu only managed to secure 62 votes and lost his deposit.

Ismail, 49, is the only local candidate in this three-cornered contest. Nizar, who hails from Kampar, is a registered voter in Pasir Panjang in the southern part of Perak.

Barisan’s expectation of securing more support by fielding a local candidate did not materialise. The coalition managed to get 622 more votes compared with the 18,449 votes it had secured in 2008 general election.

PAS, through Nizar, who was said to be banking on sympathy votes after the Barisan takeover of Perak state, improved its vote count by 1,845 votes compared with the 20,015 votes it garnered in 2008.

The by-election -- largely seen as a referendum on Barisan’s move to capture the state from Pakatan Rakyat by getting three of the latter’s state assemblymen to quit parties of the Pakatan alliance -- was called following the death of its Member of Parliament Roslan Shaharum of PAS in February.

In the last general election, the late Roslan had scored an upset over Umno’s Datuk Abdul Azim Zabidi with a majority of 1,566 votes.

Intermittent rain did not deter voters from coming out to exercise their democratic rights. Turnout was 75.1% or 41,626 of the total 55,562 voters, slightly higher than 72.65% in the 2008 general election.

In fact, the turnout this time was the highest ever for the constituency which was created in 1986. In the last six elections, the average turnout was only 70%.

This semi-rural parliamentary constituency is made up of the three state constituencies of Changkat Jering, Trong and Kuala Sepetang.

Rep: Show you care for quake victims

DAP Jalong donates to Earthquake and Cyclone Victims

May 22, 2008: Kuala Lumpur Jalong assemblyman Leong Mee Meng of DAP, handing over a RM125, 000 mock cheque raised by the people to DAP leader Lim Kit Siang and party treasurer Fong Kui Lun to help the earthquake victims in Sinchuan of China and cyclone victims in Myanmar

DAP Perak HQ Bombed

Bomb spot: Ngeh (second from left) and other state DAP leaders looking at the debris caused by the bombs in front of the party’s Perak headquarters Thursday.

Reps take bus to parliament - The Star

450 to ride British classic bikes

Getting a feel: Mohammad Nizar (right) and state executive councillor Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu trying out some of the British classic bikes.